Hi Winston, I'm not being naive to the fact that many people that have gone through a formal education system did not get a satisfying job. You can't always blame the system. People have to accept responsibility. Generally speaking, I believe that schooling is good, getting educated is good and yes that should be a positive influence to getting a better job than not getting educated. I also favor any improvement to all existing education systems. I have a son in grade 11 and we have countless discussions about his career path. This week has been a challenge just to pick his subject for grade 12. We are having discussion that I could have only dreamed about having with my parents. He has many more choices of subjects compared to what I had in high school. In fact some subjects are credit courses for university if his mark is high enough. So I think that the more one understands the current and changing marketplace, the better you are in making an informed decision for the right education for the job of choice. For example, he knows that if he wants expensive toys he needs to have a better than average paying job. I just think that if a person spends enough time to understand the benefits and cost of a lifestyle of choice then they should be in a better position to secure the job they need. Jack

Hi Cheri, I think we understand each other enough to disagree and still be friends. I have picked a few of your comments for feedback. those who see employment for someone else as financial security and those who see it as anything but. Just to be clear, I see employment as a means for me to achieve financial security. So I accept the risk of working for someone else and understand the importance of managing my cash flow to achieve my desired financial security. Unfortunately, Jack, the choice you mention between staying with an employer who doesn't pay enough and leaving isn't always a tenable choice. Reading your post about the risk of losing a job or experiencing a reduction in salary, I can appreciate your view. However, that was not the scenario I was inferring. In your case you have articulated very well a wise course of action to deal with those risks. My point was made to the people that often blame the employer for not providing enough when in fact it is their lifestyle that has overgrown the income source. At some point it is necessary to upgrade your skillsets so you can seek a higher income opportunity. We are waking up and realizing that we are the only ones responsible for ourselves--not our employers and not our government. Us. I agree completely and I have understood this for many years. We should have been spending the last thirty or so years working on our own businesses...we'd be a lot closer to financial security. I assume you mean your own situation and not everyone. After all, not everyone can run a successful business. As far as getting good education being good advise towards a good job, I refer you to my reply to Winston. I don't have any statistics that suggest getting educated is or was bad for getting a good job. I suppose I tend to put blame on oneself or gaurdian before I blame others or the system. Do you still believe that 'go to school, get a good education so you can get a good job' is bad advise to students today? Thanks for sharing Cheri, Jack

-- I just think that if a person spends enough time to understand the benefits and cost of a lifestyle of choice then they should be in a better position to secure the job they need. -- You would think so wouldn't you? The problem, as I see it, is that peoples lifestyle of choice change as they grow. Thus the reason it is so important to learn to build your own business. That business doesn't not necessarily have to be brick and mortar. Learning to invest so you have your money working for you certainly is within everyones reach. We have to remember, that regardless of what career we are pursuing, there is a top level in that field and it can't be occupied by everyone. Where does one turn when their income comes to a standstill but their lifestyle choices are still way out there? After 20 - 25 years people will not just up and change careers. Its not a doable option for most.

Jack, Ah, I begin to see where the issue is, at least for me. You asked: ============================================ Do you still believe that 'go to school, get a good education so you can get a good job' is bad advise to students today? ============================================ My answer--only the bit about 'so you can get a good job'. I believe in getting a good education so that you will know what an opportunity looks like when you are presented with it. As Winston has pointed out, the public education that was available to all when I was growing up didn't provide that knowledge. It was ALL about getting a job and working for someone else. To some extent, that's also true today. Not only is entrepreneurialism not a commonly-available course, but our public schools don't even teach the absolute basics about handling money...how to balance your checkbook, how to manage credit. Forgive me, I am finding that I'm woefully ignorant of the state of affairs in your country. I don't even know if your school system is similar to ours in providing a free education to kids beginning at about five and ending around seventeen or eighteen. I do know that 'public school' means virtually the opposite thing between England and here. Here it is provided by local government and paid for through taxation. Private schooling is very expensive, out of reach for most parents. We're now seeing a trend toward home-schooling. Sorry, I digressed a bit there. I agree that not everyone can run a successful business. I would not have been able to do so thirty years ago. Had I thought to do it, though, I would have had plenty of time to either learn to get it right or determine that it wasn't for me while I was still young enough for time to cure the monetary risks. At that point, I would also have been a better employee for having learned to understand the employer's point of view. But I reiterate that putting your fate in the hands of an employer is not necessarily the means to financial security. An employer is subject to all the same rules of business risk. In our case, it wasn't my husband who lacked skills...it was the several employers whose businesses declined or failed to grow. Despite anti-discrimination laws, it's difficult for a person over fifty to step into a job with another company at the same level of salary for high skills. The new company would usually prefer to hire a younger person and train them than to hire an experienced person and pay the salary commensurate with those skills. That's true even in public employment, as my sister-in-law discovered when she tried to get a teaching job in a new state. To some extent I was speaking for my generation when I said we'd have been better off working on our own businesses. However, I take your point that not everyone is suited for business. I guess I was mainly addressing the Adland population, who are here one must assume for business purposes. You are unusual in your complete understanding of accountability in lifestyle and income generation choices. In my country there's an entitlement attitude that's easy to buy into. Among other things, it's that attitude that I'm trying to help my readers see clearly and change if they need to, both here and within my website. I appreciate the clarity of thinking that you bring to the conversation...it helps me more clearly articulate what I'm trying to get across. And I do view it as a conversation, not a lecture. So feel free to post a different viewpoint any time. You may even persuade me, lol. After all, it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. :-) Cheri

Hi Winston & Cheri, I enjoyed our exchange of views and I suspect we have all gained something. I have been reminded of the risks in life that we may face and later realize how unprepared we can be. Just another reminder for estate planning. Cheri you said... I guess I was mainly addressing the Adland population, who are here one must assume for business purposes. Point taken. I add that I assume one that is self-employed and gets revenue from a third party realizes they too can suffer very similar risk as a salaried employee. I have experienced being self-employed, a salaried employee (small and large corporations) and during those time I have managed to save money because I made some sacrifices. Cheri I appreciate your kind words and I believe I understand your goal. I like to challenge a topic when I get a feeling that it may need some balancing. :-) Jack